British Columbians have expressed grave concerns about the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, which if approved will carry bitumen from Alberta’s oilsands to B.C.’s north coast for export on to Asia.

Oil spills on lands and streams crossed by the pipeline and from tankers navigating our coastal waters could have devastating effects on B.C.’s fragile ecosystems. Those threats are most immediate for first nations whose traditional territories would be traversed by the pipeline.

Yet in our preoccupation with the risks to our beloved province, British Columbians have paid too little attention to the environmental catastrophe that will transpire if all goes well – that is, if the oil makes it safely through the pipeline to the B.C. coast and by tanker to customers in Asia.